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DISPONIBILI
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ARTICLES IN THE BOOK

  1. Almond
  2. Anise
  3. Apple
  4. Apricot
  5. Asparagus
  6. Aubergine
  7. Avocado
  8. Azuki bean
  9. Bamboo shoot
  10. Barley
  11. Basil
  12. Beet
  13. Bell pepper
  14. Blackberry
  15. Black-eyed pea
  16. Black pepper
  17. Black salsify
  18. Blueberry
  19. Bran
  20. Brazilnut
  21. Breadfruit
  22. Broccoli
  23. Brussels sprout
  24. Bulgur
  25. Capsicum
  26. Carambola
  27. Caraway
  28. Cardamom
  29. Carrot
  30. Cashew
  31. Cauliflower
  32. Celery
  33. Cereal
  34. Cherry
  35. Chestnut
  36. Chickpea
  37. Chile pepper
  38. Citron
  39. Clementine
  40. Cocoa
  41. Coconut
  42. Coffee
  43. Coriander
  44. Couscous
  45. Cranberry
  46. Cucumber
  47. Cumin
  48. Date
  49. Dill
  50. Fennel
  51. Fenugreek
  52. Fig
  53. Garden cress
  54. Garlic
  55. Ginger
  56. Ginseng
  57. Globe Artichoke
  58. Gooseberry
  59. Grape
  60. Grapefruit
  61. Greengage
  62. Guava
  63. Haricot bean
  64. Hazelnut
  65. Juniper
  66. Kentucky coffeetree
  67. Khaki
  68. Kiwifruit
  69. Kumquat
  70. Leek
  71. Legume
  72. Lemon
  73. Lentil
  74. Lettuce
  75. Liquorice
  76. Lupin
  77. Lychee
  78. Macadamia
  79. Maize
  80. Mandarin
  81. Marjoram
  82. Melon
  83. Mentha
  84. Millet
  85. Mustard seed
  86. Nutmeg
  87. Oat
  88. Olive
  89. Onion
  90. Opium poppy
  91. Orange
  92. Oregano
  93. Parsley
  94. Parsnip
  95. Passion fruit
  96. Pea
  97. Peach
  98. Peanut
  99. Pear
  100. Pecan
  101. Peppermint
  102. Pineapple
  103. Pistachio
  104. Plant
  105. Plum
  106. Pomegranate
  107. Potato
  108. Pulse
  109. Pumpkin
  110. Radicchio
  111. Radish
  112. Raisin
  113. Rambutan
  114. Rapini
  115. Raspberry
  116. Redcurrant
  117. Rhubarb
  118. Rice
  119. Rosemary
  120. Runner bean
  121. Rye
  122. Salvia
  123. Semolina
  124. Sesame
  125. Shallot
  126. Sinapis
  127. Sorghum
  128. Soybean
  129. Spearmint
  130. Spinach
  131. Squash
  132. Strawberry
  133. Sugar cane
  134. Sunflower seed
  135. Sweet potato
  136. Tamarillo
  137. Tamarind
  138. Tangerine
  139. Thyme
  140. Tomato
  141. Turnip
  142. Vanilla
  143. Vicia faba
  144. Walnut
  145. Watercress
  146. Watermelon
  147. Wheat
  148. Wild rice
  149. Zucchini

 

 
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    ENGLISHGRATIS.COM è un sito personale di
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FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
This article is from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil

All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License 

Basil

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 
This article is about the plant and herb. For other uses, see Basil (disambiguation).

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) of the Family Lamiaceae is also known as St. Joseph's Wort and Sweet Basil. It is a tender low-growing herb that is grown as a perennial in warm, tropical climates. Basil is originally native to India and other tropical regions of Asia, having been cultivated there for more than 5,000 years. It is prominently featured in varied cuisines throughout the world including Italian, Thai, Vietnamese and Laotian. It grows to between 20–60 cm tall, with opposite, light green, silky leaves 1.5–5 cm long and 1–3 cm broad. The flowers are quite big, white in colour and arranged in a terminal spike. Unusual among Lamiaceae, the four stamens and the pistil are not pushed under the upper lip of the corolla, but lay over the inferior. After entomophilous pollination, the corolla falls off and four round achenes develop inside the bilabiate calyx. The plant tastes somewhat like anise, with a strong, pungent, sweet smell. Basil is very sensitive to cold, with best growth in hot, dry conditions. While most common varieties are treated as annuals, some are perennial, including African Blue and Holy Thai basil.

The word basil comes from the Greek βασιλευς (basileus), meaning "king", as it is believed to have grown above the spot where St. Constantine and Helen discovered the Holy Cross. The Oxford English Dictionary quotes speculations that basil may have been used in "some royal unguent, bath, or medicine". Basil is still considered the "king of herbs" by many cookery authors. An alternative etymology has "basil" coming from the Latin word basilicus, meaning dragon and being the root for basilisk, but this likely was a linguistic reworking of the word as brought from Greece.

Fresh basil leaves.
Fresh basil leaves.

Basil, the herb

Dried basil leaves.
Dried basil leaves.

Basil is most commonly recommended to be used fresh, and in cooked recipes, is generally added at the last moment, as cooking destroys the flavour quickly. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water. Place fresh leaves in a dry jar with a pinch of salt, and cover with olive oil. The dried herb also loses most of its flavour, and what little flavour remains tastes very different, with a weak coumarin flavour, like hay.

Mediterranean and Indochinese cuisines frequently use basil, the former frequently combining it with tomato. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto — a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce from the city of Genoa, its other two main ingredients being olive oil and pine nuts. The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are 'Genovese', 'Purple Ruffles', 'Mammoth', 'Cinnamon', 'Lemon', 'Globe', and 'African Blue'. Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves into thick soups (羹湯; gēngtāng). They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves.

Basil is sometimes used with fresh fruit and in fruit jams and sauces — in particular with strawberries, but also raspberries or dark-colored plums. Arguably the flat-leaf basil used in Vietnamese cooking, which has a slightly different flavour, is more suitable for use with fruit.

A can of basil seed drink
A can of basil seed drink

When soaked in water the seeds of several basil varieties become gelatinous, and are used in Asian drinks and desserts such as falooda or sherbet. Such seeds are known variously as sabja, subja, takmaria, tukmaria, or falooda seeds. They are used for their medicinal properties in Ayurveda, the traditional medicinal system of India.

Other basils

See List of basil cultivars

Several other basils, including some other Ocimum species, are grown in many regions of Asia. Most of the Asian basils have a clove-like flavour that is generally stronger than the Mediterranean basils. In China, the local cultivar is called 九層塔 (jiǔcéngtǎ; literally "nine-level pagoda"), while the imported varieties are specifically called 羅勒 (luólè) or 巴西里 (bāxīlǐ).

'Lemon basil' has a strong lemony smell and flavour very different from those of other varieties, because it contains a chemical called citral. It is widely used in Indonesia, where it is called kemangi and served raw, together with raw cabbage, green beans, and cucumber, as an accompaniment to fried fish or duck. Its flowers, broken up, are a zesty salad condiment.

Chemical components

The various basils have such different scents because the herb has a number of different essential oils which come together in different proportions for various breeds. The strong clove scent of sweet basil comes from eugenol, the same chemical as actual cloves. The citrus scent of lemon basil and lime basil is because they have a higher portion of citral which causes this effect in several plants, including lemon mint, and limonene, which gives actual lemon peel its scent. African blue basil has a strong camphor smell because it has camphor and camphene in higher proportions. Licorice Basil contains anethole, the same chemical that makes anise smell like licorice, and in fact is sometimes called Anise Basil.

Other chemicals helping produce the distinctive scents of many basils, depending on their proportion in each specific breed, including:

  • cinnamate (same as in cinnamon)
  • citronellol (geraniums, roses, and citronella)
  • geraniol (as in geranium)
  • linalool (a flowery scent also in coriander)
  • methyl chavicol (which gives tarragon its scent)
  • myrcene (bay, myrcia)
  • pinene (which is, as the name implies, the chemical which gives pine oil its scent)
  • ocimene
  • terpineol

Cultivation

Basil thrives in hot weather, but behaves as an annual if there is any chance of a frost. In Northern Europe, the northern states of the U.S., and the South Island of New Zealand it will grow best if sown under glass in a peat pot, then planted out in late spring/early summer (when there is little chance of a frost). It fares best in a well-drained sunny spot.

Although basil will grow best outdoors, it can be grown indoors in a pot and, like most herbs, will do best on a south-facing windowsill (in the Northern Hemisphere). It should be kept away from any draughts, and must be able to get plenty of sunlight, therefore a greenhouse or cloche is ideal if available.

If its leaves have wilted from lack of water, it will recover if watered thoroughly and placed in a sunny location. Yellow leaves towards the bottom of the plant are an indication that the plant needs more sunlight or less fertilizer.

In sunnier climates such as Southern Europe, the southern states of the U.S., the North Island of New Zealand, and Australia, basil will thrive when planted outside. It also thrives over the summertime in the central and northern United States, but dies out when temperatures reach the low thirties, to grow again the next year if it was allowed to go to seed. It will need regular watering, but not as much attention as is needed in other climates.

Basil can also be propagated very reliably from cuttings in exactly the same manner as "Busy Lizzie" (Impatiens), with the stems of short cuttings suspended for two weeks or so in water until roots develop.

Leaf production slows or stops on any stem which flowers, so you can pinch off any flower stems to keep the plant in production, or pinch off some stems while leaving others to bloom for decoration or seeds. Once you do let the plant flower, it will produce seed pods containing small black seeds which you can save and plant the following year. Picking the leaves off the plant helps "promote growth", largely because the plant responds by converting pairs of leaflets next to the topmost leaves into new stems.

Health issues

Basil, like other aromatic plants such as fennel and tarragon, contains Estragole, a known carcinogen and teratogen in rats and mice. While human effects are currently unstudied, the rodent experiments indicate that it would take 100–1000 times the normal anticipated exposure to become a cancer risk. [1]

Cultural aspects

Flowering basil stalk
Flowering basil stalk

There are many rituals and beliefs associated with basil. The French call basil "herbe royale". Jewish folklore suggests it adds strength while fasting. It is a symbol of love in present-day Italy, but represented hatred in ancient Greece. African legend claims that basil protects against scorpions while European lore sometimes claims that basil is a symbol of Satan.

Holy Basil, also called 'Thulsi' or 'Tulsi', is highly revered in Hinduism and also has religious significance in the Greek Orthodox Church, where it is used to prepare holy water. It is said to have been found around Christ's tomb after his resurrection. The Serbian Orthodox Church and the Macedonian Orthodox Church use basil (Macedonian: босилек; Serbian: босиљак) to prepare holy water and pots of basil are often placed below church altars.

In Europe, they place basil in the hands of the dead to ensure a safe journey. In India, they place it in the mouth of the dying to ensure they reach God. The ancient Egyptians and ancient Greeks believed that it would open the gates of heaven for a person passing on.

In Boccaccio's Decameron a memorably morbid tale (novella V) tells of Lisabetta, whose brothers slay her lover. He appears to her in a dream and shows her where he is buried. She secretly disinters the head, and sets it in a pot of basil, which she waters with her daily tears. The pot being taken from her by her brothers, she dies of her grief not long after. The story is already told of the Longobard queen Rosalind.

References

  1. ^ EMEA (2004-03-03). Position Paper on the use of HMP containing estragole (PDF) 5. Retrieved on 2006-11-17. “In particular, rodent studies show that these events are minimal probably in the dose range of 1-10 mg/kg body weight, which is approximately 100-1000 times the anticipated human exposure to this substance”

External links

  • Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages explain the culinary use of basil in European and Asian cooking; further web links.
  • New Life Journal - Holy Basil
  • New Directions Nacional Basil Essential Oil
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basil"